This falls in the category of things I want my children to know.
In all the boxes and albums of full of photos there is not one of my Granny's home where my brother, Larry, and I were born in 1940 and 1941. I know, I have been searching. There are photos of the front yard, of us playing and posing when we were children but not one of the home.
When I was two years old and Larry a babe in arms, Mom and Dad came to Cincinnati because there was no work in or around Emlyn, Kentucky. Dad had just gotten out of the CCC project and needed a job to raise his family. A few months after we came to Cincinnati, they went back and brought Granny to live with us but we kids went back with her to spend summers. The height of our day was the train going by every afternoon. The railroad track was just across the road. I also went to the one room school in Emlyn for a time. We were well watched over by Granny, her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sarah and Cheek Alder who still lived in the house, as they sat on the front porch in their rocking chairs. That is one of my fondest memories-glancing that way from our play to see them sitting there. So fond that I have rocking chairs on my front porch and hope that my great, grandchildren will remember me in my rocking chair watching them play.
To tell you how long I have been wanting a picture of that house-over 20 years ago, my husband and I were returning from a trip to Gatlinburg coming up I-75 which runs behind Granny's old home place. The fact is, when the interstate was built, it split Granny's property in half and took the middle of her land. We drove around through Williamsburg to Rt. 25 that runs through Emlyn so I could get a picture but the house was no longer there.
The house was built before 1920 by our grandfather, Tom Crockett. We have the receipt for his purchases to build it.
A couple of weeks ago my sister, Shirley, got a phone call out of the blue from a gal we don't even know. She had been given Shirley's # by a relative in Emlyn. She is researching her genealogy. We are probably distant relatives. She emailed Shirley some photos and lo, and behold, there is Granny's home-the one I was born in along with some other photos that we have along with others we don't have.
I don't know who anyone is here yet-the banisters weren't on the porch when we were growing up.Larry said the photo was probably taken in the 50's. Am going to try and find out who had the photo originally.
the back of the house-Granny cooked on a wood burning cook stove with a warming oven on the top. I thought there was a tiny room on the back that had a well. It had a cylinder shape that was on a pulley that was dropped down into the well and drawn up for our water. it would have been where the right screen door is.
we already had these photos but they are handy so here they are-this is our Granny holding cousin, Kenny, son of George with my sister, Shirley, brothers, Larry and Jim and me.
This was probably taken in Granny's front yard. The house in the background would be the Rains' home.
this was taken in 1918 we think at the side of Granny's house. She is in the first row, left. She is holding George, Mom's brother, Raymond, her older son is at her right, with Tom just behind her. We didn't know some of the people in the picture but we do know now from the email Shirley received.
This is our grandfather, Tom, holding George. the photo was taken the same day as the above group photo and looks like on the front porch.Shirley has the original in her front hall in its old frame.
So, I finally have pictures of where I was born in such a roundabout way it is uncanny. I love it. I can't wait to see what else we might find out.
So, thank you, Janis in Tennessee for sharing all this with us.
Carolyn Wainscott
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